Revolutionary Etude
by CalicoKitten
Summary: Shinji and Kamio discuss music and the vice-captain's duties after the Rikkai matches.


Disclaimer:  Tennis no Ohjisama is the property of Konomi Takeshi.

Author's Notes:  This is written for the lovely Noel, who requested a Fudomine fic with the possible pairing of Kamio and Shinji.  It could be taken as a sort of sequel to Changing, but it doesn't have to be.  Shinji may seem a bit out of character, but this is one of my takes on his character (everyone has their own ideas ^_~).  Also…I know I have a tendency to do the kiss thing in a lot of my fics…but that's just because I think the story would work well with it.

Revolutionary Etude

By CalicoKitten

For some reason, the sounds of the piano drew Shinji out of his own thoughts.

And Kamio played the piano well, Shinji noted.

He stood in the doorway to the music room, observing his best friend at the helm of the piano.  Musical scores laid strewn about over the top, sides, and floor of the grand piano, having all originated in the little black bag that sat forlornly at Kamio's side.  Kamio didn't seem to notice this, nor the mess he had made around him, and Shinji wasn't even sure if Kamio had heard the telltale squeaking of the door that signified his entrance.

Instead, Kamio was bent over the pristine black and white keys, his eyes closed though the musical composition faced him from its stand.  His fingers flew over the keys in rapid rhythms, rhythms that even experienced players would have a hard time playing, and Shinji could hear the noise of the pedals whenever Kamio hit them with his foot.

There was an intensity in his playing that intrigued Shinji.  Stepping into the room, he moved silently so that he stood off to the side of the piano, able to focus on the pianist's face as well as his playing.

As he had seen before, Kamio's eyes were shut tightly, and he could easily identify the small crease in his friend's forehead that predominated his expression ever since Kamio had taken over the reigns of leadership from the hospitalized Tachibana-san.  He was also breathing heavily, and the redness at the tips of his fingers told Shinji that he had been there for quite some time.

A slight, irregular dissonance in the chords and a grunt of disapproval from its cause alerted Shinji back to Kamio's face, which, in the light, brought about a much lighter pallor to the normally pale temporary captain of the Fudomine tennis team.

With a sigh, Shinji reached out one hand, slightly annoyed that he had spent most of the afternoon looking for Kamio so that he could return the money Kamio had lent to him.

Pausing only momentarily, he continued when he was sure Kamio remained oblivious and poked the crease on Kamio's forehead with his right index finger.

Kamio had always been easy to get a reaction out of.

Today was no exception, as the other player's hands immediately ceased its rapid pressing of the keys, and Kamio yelped loudly, nearly toppling backwards off the bench.  He would have, too, if Shinji hadn't reached further and grasped the front of his school uniform, pulling him upright.

He found it amusing.

Kamio obviously didn't.

"What the hell?" the fiery redhead shouted furiously, rushing to grab the sheet music piled haphazardly all over the place.  "What do you think you're doing?!"

Knowing Kamio for as long as he had, Shinji could tell something was odd about his friend's tone of voice, and he peered at the other more closely, noting the red flush that tinged pale cheeks and the rapid turning of the head when Kamio caught him looking.

Kamio was embarrassed.

Of what, Shinji wasn't quite sure.

Curious, he spoke, "Oh?  Did I interrupt something important?"

The deepening blush on Kamio's face and the spark of something unidentifiable that passed through his eyes told Shinji he had, despite Kamio's words.

"No!  You just…surprised me, that's all."

And Shinji knew it was a lie when Kamio wouldn't meet his eyes.  He knew firsthand what it was like when people shook him to awareness after one of his so-called spells, but it soon became known that it was just a part of who he was, and people stopped inquiring about it after a while.

Kamio, however, resembled Shinji's complete opposite, so he didn't buy into the redhead's excuse one bit.

"Hmm?  Is that why you're all red?"

Emphasizing this, he poked Kamio again, this time on the cheek.

"Doesn't look that way to me.  I wonder what you were doing.  Playing the piano, I know that, but…"

Kamio cut off his rambling, protesting indignantly.

"I wasn't doing anything!"

Shinji looked up at Kamio then, eyeing him up and down.  Unsatisfied, he opened his mouth to speak again.

"Okay, okay!"

Kamio browsed hurriedly through the little black bag in which he'd been stuffing music into and practically threw a book at Shinji, who caught it deftly with one hand.

He opened it to the place where the most recent crease appeared and stared uncomprehendingly at the score.

"Chopin's Revolutionary Etude?"

Kamio blushed again, and Shinji wondered if his face would get any redder.

"Yeah."

"Is this the piece that you were just playing?"

"…Yeah."

The conversation ended there, but Shinji continued to look at Kamio with that indifferent expression, and under it, Kamio began to fidget nervously, picking up the random sheet music lying around to rid himself of the tension.  Suddenly remembering what he'd come to find Kamio for, he reached into his bag, pulling out some money.

"Ah, I almost forgot.  I came to return the money you lent me."

Kamio stared at him blankly for a second before nodding wearily, stretching out a hand to take the money.  As his fingers touched the wadded bills, the slight trembling Shinji felt immediately reminded him of something else, and he instead grasped Kamio's hand, still holding onto the money.

"You missed lunch again today," he said before Kamio could say anything.

Kamio shrugged slightly, eyes downcast as he attempted to free his hand from Shinji's hold.

"I wasn't hungry."

Shinji refused to let go.

"You weren't hungry yesterday, then, either."

He could still feel the tremors from the hand under his own, and it irritated him.  Kamio refused to answer, so he continued, "Ann-chan was worried about you."

If he'd expected a reaction from the redhead, he'd have been disappointed, as Kamio replied, almost indifferently, "Really?  I'm sorry to worry her."

He laughed softly, the sound not quite real to Shinji's ears as Kamio finished, "She worries too much."

Shinji looked up at that comment, straight into Kamio's eyes.

"I thought that was you who worried too much."

Shinji rarely made statements like that, if at all, so they just stayed there, staring into each other's eyes until Kamio wrenched his away, snatching the money out of Shinji's hands as he did so.

"Don't be ridiculous.  I do not worry too much."

Shinji's eyes narrowed then, and he moved forward, making Kamio back up until he was sitting against the wall.  Kamio's eyes widened as if he was a deer caught in headlights, and Shinji put out his arms to block him in.

"Yes, you do."

Kamio started to protest then, but Shinji cut him off.

"You've always been a worrier.  Ever since we were little.  During that recital when you were ten – your mom told me once – you worried so much that you couldn't remember the end to your song and lost to that Ohtori person from Hyotei."

"I've never heard you play until today.  You must be very stressed – and it's easy to tell that you are.  You always have that wrinkle right there."

Shinji poked the offending thing yet again, and Kamio flinched slightly but remained quiet.

"I'm your best friend.  I think I know when you're stressed.  With Tachibana-san, and now being the captain – though I'm not sure why Tachibana-san didn't even consider me for the position – you're missing meals now.  And you're too thin as it is.  I suppose I'm thin, too, but I guess that's not the issue now.  I think we should begin to force-feed you if you don't eat lunch anymore.  Ann-chan is sure to agree, and…"

He stopped suddenly when Kamio pressed a hand against his mouth.  Kamio chuckled lightly, the sound somewhat foreign, but it was genuine, and Shinji welcomed it.

"Okay, okay," Kamio said, shaking his head so that his red hair completely obscured his left eye.  "God, Shinji.  You know me so well.  And when you get on a topic…"

He trailed off then, looking up and flashing Shinji a smile, one that told him that Kamio simply wanted to drop the subject and forget about it.

"…It's such a guilt trip."

His eyes flashed once again, and the meaning was not lost on Shinji.  He reached up, taking the hand away from his mouth and instead clutching it gently.

"Aa.  Gomen, Akira."

Kamio's eyes moved then, and Shinji found them with his own before he yanked Kamio forward by the arm, causing Kamio to tumble out of his sitting position and towards Shinji.

Shinji caught Kamio's mouth against his own, finding soft, pliable lips that were open from the shock of the pull.  Quickly slipping his tongue inside, he wound an arm around Kamio's waist when the other was half on top of him.

Parting from the other's mouth gently, he pulled away before Kamio could respond, taking in the flushed face and erratic heartbeat.

"Ne, Akira."

Kamio seemed to be too flustered to think straight.

"Wh-what?"

Shinji gestured with his free arm towards Kamio's little black bag of music.

"Would you play me a song?"

Kamio immediately looked uncomfortable, made even more so by the fact that Shinji's arm was still around his waist.  He shifted to move away, and Shinji released his hold, allowing Kamio to continue filling the little black bag with even more music.

"Not…not today."

He glanced back over at Shinji then, the blush still evident, but Shinji could see signs of the resolve that had always been there, and he could see the future of Fudomine within his coming captain's eyes as Kamio picked up the book that held Chopin's Revolutionary Etude within.

"But…maybe someday."

And Kamio smiled, a smile that Shinji hadn't seen since before the Rikkai matches.

"No.  Definitely someday."

With that, Kamio continued to pack, and it was obvious to Shinji that he meant it, but it was also obvious that he was trying to forget about that ambiguous kiss Shinji had given him on the spur of the moment.

He touched his fingers to his lips, where Kamio had held his own earlier, and said, simply, 

"Aa."

For some reason, Kamio Akira could always pull Shinji out of his own thoughts.


End file.
